Tech Fairy delivers electronic magic in east Bradenton

Tara’s Craig Clark sat at a table in his living room Dec. 2 with a desktop computer in front of him.

Two hundred and sixty-eight smiling faces flashed across the screen as he slowly scrolled down through a photo album.

Every photo was of someone who benefited from Clark’s passion of donating electronic devices to those in need.

Most of the his charitable work came by happenstance. He would run into one of those 268 people while shopping, getting gas or picking up food for himself and his wife, Karen.

He would strike up a conversation with a person at a store or a restaurant. 

No matter where they worked or their background, Clark would find one aspect of their lives in common. Each person needed some type of electronic device, such as a laptop, desktop or tablet.

Clark, a computer technician, would give them one for free.

In East County, Clark has become known as the Tech Fairy for his abilities to fix devices and give them away to people in need.

His days as the Tech Fairy began five years ago when he came across an employee at a 7-Eleven. Clark complimented her on how she dealt with a complaining customer. With no one standing in line behind him, they started talking to each other. During their conversation, Clark learned the employee had dropped out of college because someone had stolen her laptop when she was taking online classes.

The two met at a McDonald’s when the employee wasn’t working, and Clark gave her a refurbished laptop for free. She went on to get her associate’s degree in business.

Clark has heard many similar stories. He has given devices to a Vietnam veteran who wasn’t able to afford a desktop computer, a Wawa employee who has two sons and needed a laptop, and a McDonald’s employee who had to study online by using her phone.

Over the past five years, Clark has given away about 300 devices. He gets the devices through donations from people in the community.

“I’ve got the skill; I’ve got the time; I’ve got the resources. So who wouldn’t do it?” he said. “For me to spend my time productively to the benefit of others is my reward.”

Clark, 74, spent 21 years working for Tropicana and later 13 years working as an executive in the corporate offices of 7-Eleven.

Then 12 years ago, Clark decided to go into a different direction and step out of the corporate world.

He became a computer technician.

“I have a good life,” Clark said. “I made a good living on the backs of people who are no different than me, but they were making $4 an hour at the time, and I was making $60,000 a year because of who their parents were and what the opportunities were in front of them.”

Unlike many people who spend their free time watching TV or reading books, Clark puts his time into fixing devices. He fixes about six devices per month.

He will go into his office, turn on the lamp on his desk and focus on the problem at hand.

“I have to be doing something, and this filled a huge need in my personal psyche,” Clark said. “It keeps me busy, keeps me challenged. This is a 50-50 reward because I help others, but I’m also keeping my brain alert and keeping up to date with current technology. If I didn’t do this, I don’t know what I would do.”